Presenting Content in Accordance with a Placement Designation

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for presenting content in accordance with a placement designation. One example method includes identifying terms associated with a campaign, the campaign having an associated content item that is presented to users responsive to requests for content, receiving an indication of a placement designation including targeting criteria for presenting the content item in a search suggestion control along with search suggestions, storing information associated with the campaign, and processing content requests.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119, this application claims the benefit of aforeign priority of Israel Patent Application No. 218419, filed Mar. 1,2012, whose disclosure content is hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

This specification generally relates to information presentation.

Users can employ Internet-based search engine interfaces to providesearch queries and to receive query results. Content providers cantarget specific search query keywords, and can sponsor content to beprovided to users along with the query results. Some search engines mayinclude predictive capabilities for presenting users with querysuggestions, based on characters entered in a search box.

SUMMARY

In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification may be embodied in methods, systems, and computerprogram products for presenting content in accordance with a placementdesignation. One example method includes identifying terms associatedwith a campaign, the campaign having an associated content item that ispresented to users responsive to requests for content, receiving anindication of a placement designation including targeting criteria forpresenting the content item in a search suggestion control along withsearch suggestions, storing information associated with the campaign,and processing content requests.

Processing content requests can include evaluating a received searchstring, identifying one or more query suggestions, determining if thequery suggestions match the one or more terms associated with thecampaign, and presenting the content item in response to the receivedsearch string along with the one or more query suggestions. Processingcontent requests can include evaluating a received search string and oneor more query suggestions, determining if the search string or the querysuggestions match the one or more terms associated with the campaign,and presenting the content item in response to the received searchstring along with the one or more query suggestions.

In general, another innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification may be embodied in computer program products that canperform operations including identifying terms associated with acampaign, the campaign having an associated content item that ispresented to users responsive to requests for content, receiving anindication of a placement designation including targeting criteria forpresenting the content item in a search suggestion control along withsearch suggestions, storing information associated with the campaign,and processing content requests.

In general, another innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification may be embodied in content management systems forserving sponsored content to users. The systems can include termidentifiers, designation receivers, campaign data stores, and contentrequest processors. A term identifier can identify one or more termsassociated with a campaign, the campaign having an associated contentitem that is presented to users responsive to requests for content. Adesignation receiver can receive an indication of a placementdesignation including targeting criteria for the presentation of acontent item. The targeting criteria can include a designation forpresenting the content item in a search suggestion control along withsearch suggestions. A campaign data store can store informationassociated with the campaign. A content request processor can processcontent requests, including evaluating a received search string,identifying one or more query suggestions, determining if the querysuggestions match the one or more terms associated with the campaign,and presenting the content item in response to the received searchstring along with the one or more query suggestions.

These and other embodiments may each optionally include none, one ormore of the following features. The terms can include one or moreprefixes. The prefixes can include the first one or more letters of theterms. A control can be presented to a campaign sponsor to enableselection of the placement designation. Presenting the control caninclude presenting an option to allow for specification of presentationonly in a search suggestion control. Presenting the control can includepresenting an option to allow for specification of presentation ineither a search suggestion control or as part of search resultssubmitted to a user. A bid can be received from a campaign sponsor, thebid can be associated with the one or more terms, and an auction can berun. The content item can be presented in accordance with one or moreauction winners.one innovative aspect of the subject matter described inthis specification may be embodied in methods, systems, and computerprogram products for presenting content items in accordance with areceived placement designation.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification may be implemented to realize none, one or more of thefollowing advantages. Campaign sponsors may employ online interfaces toevaluate various targeting options regarding partial keyword forms, andto make appropriate targeting decisions based on the circumstances oftheir particular campaigns. Campaign sponsors may increase theirpotential exposure to users. System users may receive sponsored contentsuggestions based on the submission of a minimal number of keystrokes,or a single keystroke, improving system response times and contentrelevance for users.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other potential features, aspects, and advantages ofthe subject matter will become apparent from the description, thedrawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment for presentingcontent to users in response to requests for content.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system that can present content tousers in accordance with a received placement designation.

FIG. 3 shows an example user interface for presenting campaign sponsorswith options for selecting a placement designation for presentation of acontent item to users.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts of example processes for presenting contentitems in accordance with a received placement designation.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a computer device and a mobile computerdevice that can be used to implement the techniques described herein.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, computer systems can provide targeted content based onreceipt of content requests. Users can interact with a search engineinterface (e.g., a web page) to provide queries via a search control(e.g., a search box). Search disambiguation may occur as the user typeshis or her query, for example, by presenting the user with querycompletion options within a search suggestions control (e.g., a searchsuggestions box). In addition to providing query completion options, oneor more content items (e.g., advertisements) may be provided in thesearch suggestions control. Campaign sponsors (e.g., advertisers) may begiven the option to target content items for presentation in searchsuggestion controls to users, based on partial term forms, or prefixes,provided by users.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 for providingcontent to users in response to requests for content. The exampleenvironment 100 includes a network 102, such as a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or a combinationthereof. The network 102 connects websites 104, user devices 106,content providers 108 (e.g., advertisers), publishers, and a contentmanagement system 110. The example environment 100 may include manythousands of websites 104, user devices 106, and content providers 108.The content management system 110 may be used for selecting andproviding content in response to requests for content.

A website 104 includes one or more resources 105 associated with adomain name and hosted by one or more servers. An example website 104 isa collection of web pages formatted in hypertext markup language (HTML)that can contain text, images, multimedia content, and programmingelements, such as scripts. Each website 104 can be maintained by acontent publisher, which is an entity that controls, manages and/or ownsthe website 104.

A resource 105 can be any data that can be provided over the network102. A resource 105 can be identified by a resource address that isassociated with the resource 105. Resources 105 include HTML pages, wordprocessing documents, portable document format (PDF) documents, images,video, and news feed sources, to name only a few. The resources 105 caninclude content, such as words, phrases, images and sounds, that mayinclude embedded information (such as meta-information hyperlinks)and/or embedded instructions (such as JavaScript scripts).

To facilitate searching of resources 105, the environment 100 caninclude a search system 112 that identifies the resources 105 bycrawling and indexing the resources 105 provided by the contentpublishers on the websites 104. Data about the resources 105 can beindexed based on the resource 105 to which the data corresponds. Theindexed and, optionally, cached copies of the resources 105 can bestored in an indexed cache 114.

A user device 106 is an electronic device that is under control of auser and is capable of requesting and receiving resources over thenetwork 102. Example user devices 106 include personal computers, mobilecommunication devices (e.g., smartphones), and other devices that cansend and receive data over the network 102. A user device 106 typicallyincludes one or more user applications, such as a web browser, tofacilitate the sending and receiving of data over the network 102.

A user device 106 can request resources 105 from a website 104. In turn,data representing the resource 105 can be provided to the user device106 for presentation by the user device 106. User devices 106 can alsosubmit search queries 116 to the search system 112 over the network 102.A request for a resource 105 or a search query 116 sent from a userdevice 106 can include an identifier, such as a cookie, identifying theuser of the user device 106.

In response to a search query 116, the search system 112 can access theindexed cache 114 to identify resources 105 that are relevant to thesearch query 116. The search system 112 identifies the resources 105 inthe form of search results 118 and returns the search results 118 to theuser devices 106 in search results pages. A search result 118 is datagenerated by the search system 112 that identifies a resource 105 thatis responsive to a particular search query 116, and includes a link tothe resource 105. An example search result 118 can include a web pagetitle, a snippet of text or a portion of an image extracted from the webpage, and the URL (Unified Resource Location) of the web page.

The content information system 110 can update usage information 124 fora user, based on activity of the user, subject to the user's expresspermission. For example, the user may receive notice of what data may becollected and how such data may be used or retained, and may be providedwith an opportunity to opt in/out of programs that may collectpersonalized information. In addition, certain data may be anonymized inone or more ways before it is stored or used, so that personallyidentifiable data is removed. The usage information 124 can include, forexample, information about past user activities, such as past requestsfor resources 105, past search queries 116, other requests for content,websites visited, or interactions with content. In some implementations,the usage information 124 can be derived, for example, from one or moreof a query log, an advertisement log, or requests for content. In someimplementations, the usage information 124 can include, for each entry,a cookie identifying the user, a timestamp, an IP (Internet Protocol)address associated with a requesting user device 106, a type of usage,and details associated with the usage.

When a resource 105 or search results 118 are requested by a user device106, the content management system 110 may receive a request for contentto be provided with the resource 105 or search results 118. The requestfor content can include characteristics of one or more “slots” that aredefined for the requested resource 105 or search results page. Forexample, the data representing the resource 105 can include dataspecifying a portion of the resource 105 or a portion of a user display,such as a presentation location of a pop-up window or a slot of athird-party content site or web page or a designated portion of a userinterface associated with a search control, in which content can bepresented. An example slot is an ad slot. Search results pages can alsoinclude one or more slots in which other content items (e.g., ads) canbe presented.

Information about slots can be provided to the content management system110. For example, a reference (e.g., URL) to the resource for which theslot is defined, a size of the slot, and/or media types that areavailable for presentation in the slot can be provided to the contentmanagement system 110. Similarly, keywords or portions of keywordsassociated with a requested resource (“resource keywords”) or a searchquery 116 for which search results are requested can also be provided tothe content management system 110 to facilitate identification ofcontent that is relevant to the resource or search query 116.

Based at least in part on data included in the request, the contentmanagement system 110 can select content that is eligible to be providedin response to the request (“eligible content items”). For example,eligible content items can include eligible ads having characteristicsmatching the characteristics of ad slots and that are identified asrelevant to specified resource keywords (or portions of keywords) orsearch queries 116. As another example, content items having targetingkeywords that match the resource keywords (or portions thereof) or thesearch query 116 are selected as eligible content items by the contentmanagement system 110.

A targeting keyword can match a resource keyword or a search query 116by having the same textual content (“text”) as the resource keyword orsearch query 116. For example, a content item (e.g., an advertisement)associated with the targeting keyword “automobiles” can be an eligiblecontent item (or an eligible ad) for a content item request thatincludes the resource keyword “automobiles.” Similarly, the ad can beselected as an eligible content item for a request including the searchquery “automobiles.” Moreover, partial keyword forms, or “prefixes”, maybe considered when matching targeting keywords with resource keywords orsearch queries. For example, a content item associated with a partialform of a targeting keyword (e.g., the letter “a”, the partial form“au”, the partial form “aut”, etc.) can be selected as an eligiblecontent item for a request including similar partial resource keywordsor partial search queries.

The content management system 110 can select from the eligible contentitems that are to be provided for presentation in slots of a resource105 or search results page 118 based at least in part on results of anauction. For example, for the eligible content items, the contentmanagement system 110 can receive bids from content providers 108 (e.g.,advertisers) and allocate the slots, based at least in part on thereceived bids (e.g., based on the highest bidders at the conclusion ofthe auction). The bids are amounts that the content providers arewilling to pay for presentation (or selection) of their content with aresource 105 or search results page 118. For example, a bid can specifyan amount that a content provider is willing to pay for each onethousand impressions (i.e., presentations) of the content item, referredto as a CPM bid. Alternatively, the bid can specify an amount that thecontent provider is willing to pay for a selection (i.e., aclick-through) of the content item or a conversion following selectionof the content item. The selected content item can be determined basedon the bids alone, or based on the bids of each bidder being multipliedby one or more factors, such as quality scores derived from contentperformance, landing page scores, and/or other factors.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example system 200 that can present content tousers in accordance with a received placement designation. FIG. 2 alsoillustrates an example flow of data within the system 200 during states(A) to (E), where the states (A) to (E) may occur in the illustratedsequence, or they may occur in a sequence that is different than in theillustrated sequence. For example, two or more of the states (A) to (E)may occur concurrently.

The system 200 can provide suggestions, for instance, as completions inthe form of multi-term phrases or dominant queries that are derived fromthe received user input. For example, a content management system 210included in the system 200 can evaluate the user input as received andidentify one or more completions based on the user input. Based on thecompletions, one or more associated content items can be identified.Ones of the completions (e.g., popular ones) can be provided assuggestions to the user. The additional content items can be merged withselected ones of the completions and provided for display to the user.The suggestions can be displayed in proximity to or in an augmented formof the control that receives the user input. For example, thesuggestions and associated content can be included in a suggestion boxthat is displayed in proximity to the control (e.g., a search querybox). In some implementations ads, navigational links, static content,video content, or other content can be displayed in a suggestion boxadjacent to (e.g., directly below) an input control (e.g., a searchquery box) on the user's computer screen. The suggestions and additionalcontent items can appear on the user's screen in a suggestion box orother form of display element after the user has entered just a portion(e.g., a character, a few characters, etc.) of the query, such as afterthe input is sufficient to generate useful suggestions. In someimplementations, one or more content items are provided along with oneor more suggestions for completing the user input. The content items canbe included along with the suggestions or presented in a separateaugmented form of the control (e.g., an expanded textual input box ordrop down box).

For the purposes of this disclosure, the user input received andprocessed to determine suggestions and related content is referred toherein as a prefix. The prefix can constitute one or more textualcharacters that are entered by/received from the user. A completionrefers to a particular completed request, and can be based on historicalprocessing of other requests. For example, a completion can be of theform of words or phrases that embody the request the user is providing,as evaluated as a portion of that request is entered. In someimplementations, the suggestions and/or additional content (e.g.,advertisements) returned by the content management system 210 cancorrespond to content exactly matching the prefix entered by the user.For example, if the user enters “bicyc”, the system 200 can generatesuggestions and locate additional content items related to the subjectof bicycles, such as suggestions for ads for local bicycle shops. Insome implementations, the information returned by the content managementsystem 210 can be based on the user's interests, profile information,geographical location, etc. These additional criteria can be combinedfor use with the user's input in order to provide targeted content.

The system 200 can include one or more client devices 202 (each operatedby a corresponding device user 204) that communicate over one or morenetworks 206 with one or more computing servers 208. The networks 206may include a wireless cellular network, a wireless local area network(WLAN) or WiFi network, a Third Generation (3G) or Fourth Generation(4G) mobile telecommunications network, an intranet, the Internet, orany other suitable network or any appropriate combination thereof.

The client device(s) 202 may be any suitable type of computing device(e.g., mobile phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant, tabletcomputer, laptop or desktop computer, or other stationary or portabledevice) that includes one or more processors and computer readablemedia. Among other components, for example, the client device(s) 202includes one or more processors, computer readable media that storesoftware applications, input device(s) (e.g., touch screens, keyboards,computer mice, motion sensors, microphones, etc.), output device(s)(e.g., display screens, speakers, etc.), and communications interfaces.

The computing server(s) 208 may be configured to execute applicationcode associated with a variety of software components (e.g., modules,objects, libraries, services, etc.), including computer instructions toperform some or all of the method steps described below. In someimplementations, the computing server 208 a may include one or morecomponents of the content management system 210 described below.

The content management system 210 (e.g., similar to the contentmanagement system 110, shown in FIG. 1) can identify terms (e.g.,keywords) associated with a campaign, can present a campaign sponsorwith an option to target one or more content items to users based onreceipt of a partial form (e.g., prefix) of one or more terms, and canprovide the content items for presentation in search suggestion controls(e.g., suggestion boxes) to users. In the present example, the contentmanagement system 210 includes a term identifier 212, a targeting optionprovider 214, a designation receiver 216, an auction manager 218, and acontent request processor 220. Two or more of the components 212, 214,216, 218, and 220 may be implemented on the same device (e.g., samecomputing device), or on different devices, such as devices included ina server farm or a peer-to-peer network.

The content management system 210 may be in communication with one ormore data stores, servers, and/or other systems. In the present example,the content management system 210 and server(s) 208 a communicate with acampaigns data store 222 and the server(s) 208 b (e.g., servers forrunning a search system, similar to the search system 112 shown in FIG.1). The data store 222, for example, can implement databases, filesystems, and the like to add, remove, and maintain data used by thesystem 200. The server(s) 208 b (the search system), for example, canreceive search queries from and can provide search results to systemusers (e.g., the user 204 b).

Referring to the example flow of data, during state (A), campaignsponsors can be presented with options to target content items forpresentation in search suggestion controls to users. Campaigns, forexample, may include actions for reaching users, or particularcategories (e.g., based on user demographics, locations, and/orprofiles) of users. Campaign sponsors, for example, may include entities(e.g., organizations, individuals, businesses, advertisers) that intendto target content items (e.g., advertisements) to system users (e.g.,the user 204 b) during one or more campaigns.

In the present example, the content management system 210 can employ thetargeting option provider 214 to provide targeting options to the user204 a (e.g., a representative of campaign sponsor 240) via an interface230 (shown here as interface 230 a). The user 204 a, for example, may bea representative, agent, and/or employee of campaign sponsor 240 (e.g.,“Example Motors”, an automobile dealership). The interface 230, forexample, may be an online interface (e.g., a web page) provided by thecontent management system 210, and may include various controls (e.g.,output, input, command, etc.) for presenting information to andreceiving information from campaign sponsors via networks 206 a, tofacilitate campaign configuration and management by the sponsors.

During state (B), campaign information can be received from campaignsponsors, including indications of placement designations for thepresentation of content items to users. In the present example, toprovide campaign information to the content management system 210, theuser 204 a can employ the client device 202 a to interact with theinterface 230 (shown here as interface 230 b). For example, the user 204a can use the interface 230 to provide campaign information includingone or more term selections 242 and one or more placement designations244 to be used by the content management system 210 when targetingcontent items to users. Term selections, for example, may includephrases (multiple terms), single terms, and/or partial forms (e.g.,prefixes) of one or more terms. In the present example, the termselections 242 selected by the user 204 a include the single term“example”, and the partial forms “exa” and “exam”. Placementdesignations, for example, may include targeting criteria for theplacement of content items (e.g., advertisements) within variousinterface sections (e.g., at the top, bottom, left side, right side,etc., of a web page) and/or within various interface controls (e.g.,within a display slot, within a pop-up display, within a searchsuggestion control, etc.). In the present example, the placementdesignations 244 selected by the user 204 a include a search suggestioncontrol.

As described in additional examples below (refer to FIG. 3), in someimplementations, the interface 230 may also provide options forproviding campaign information such as content item text (e.g.,headlines, descriptions, etc.), graphics (e.g., icons, favicons, etc.),web links, auction bid values, etc. Upon receiving the term selections242, placement designations 244, and other campaign information providedby the user 204 a, for example, the content management system 210 canemploy the term identifier 212 and the designation receiver 216 toassociate the campaign information with a campaign of the campaignsponsor 240. For example, the selections 242, the designations 244, andother campaign information may be maintained by the campaigns data store222, in association with one or more campaign identifiers.

During state (C), system users can submit requests for content. Requestsfor content, for example, may include search queries, map requests,social network requests, and other sorts of content requests. Requestsmay be submitted, for example, by providing text (e.g., by typing),sounds (e.g., voice commands), images (e.g., photos, barcodes, quickresponse codes, etc.), locations (e.g., zip codes, geographiccoordinates, etc.) and other suitable data. In the present example, theuser 204 b can employ the client device 202 b to access a search page250 (shown here as search page 250 a) provided by the server(s) 208 b(the search system) via networks 206 b. Interacting with the search page250 a, for example, the user 204 b can enter search text in a searchcontrol 252 (shown here as search control 252 a). Other examples ofproviding search controls may include provision via an interface (e.g.,a web page, a custom application, etc.) provided the content managementsystem 210, by servers (not shown) associated with an entity (e.g., asyndication partner) affiliated with the content management system 210,or by servers (not shown) of an entity that uses services provided bythe server(s) 208 b (the search system). In the present example, theuser 204 b begins entering text (e.g., via keypad), including a prefix(i.e., a sequence of letters) “exa”. As the user enters the sequence ofletters, for example, the search page 250 a can provide the sequence tothe server(s) 208 b. Upon receiving the sequence, for example, theserver(s) 208 b (the search system) may provide search data 254including a search string (e.g., “exa”) to the content management system210. In some implementations, the search data 254 may include one ormore query suggestions. For example, based on the prefix “exa”, thesearch system may identify the query suggestions “example”, “examplecover”, “example of data”, etc.

During state (D), content requests can be processed. For example, thecontent management system 210 can employ the content request processor220 to process a content request for the user 204 b, based on the searchdata 254 provided by the computing server(s) 208 b (the search system).Upon receiving the search data 254, for example, the content requestprocessor 220 can evaluate the received search string (e.g., the prefix“exa”), and the query suggestions (e.g., “example”, “example cover”,“example of data”, etc.) generated by the search system to determine ifthe search string and/or any of the search suggestions match any termsassociated with any campaign (e.g., a campaign of the campaign sponsor240 or that of another campaign sponsor). In the present example, thecontent request processor 220 may access the campaigns data store 222and may determine that the received search string “exa” and the querysuggestion “example” match one or more term selections 242 provided bythe campaign sponsor 240. Thus, in the present example, the contentrequest processor 220 may identify a content item 260 (here shown ascontent item 260 a) associated with the campaign sponsor 240 and mayidentify one or more placement designations 244 for the content item 260a as indicated by the campaign sponsor. Content items, for example, mayinclude text, images, video, audio, web links, and other types ofcontent specified by the campaign sponsor 240 and/or generated by thecontent management system 210. Content items may be provided in the formof advertisements, entertainment content, and recommendations (e.g., forproducts, services, computer applications, etc.), to list a few possibleexamples. In the present example, the content item 260 includes text(e.g., “Example Motors”), a web link (e.g., www.example.com), and afavicon (e.g., an automobile icon) associated with the campaign sponsor240. If plural campaigns are identified, for example, then a selection(e.g., an auction or reservation selection) can be made to determinewhich among the plural eligible items should be delivered.

In some implementations, an auction may be run, and content may beselected in accordance with one or more auction winners. For example,the content management system 210 can employ the auction manager 218 toevaluate bids provided by various campaign sponsors for having contentpresented to users in response to content requests. Campaign sponsors,for example, may bid on various phrases, terms, and/or prefixes that maybe entered by users (or that may be suggested by the search system), andmay also bid on various placement designations. During an auction, forexample, the auction manager 218 can evaluate bids and associatedquality scores for each campaign, and can determine one or more auctionwinners. Quality scores, for example, may be based on historical clickrates of content items, campaigns, and/or campaign sponsors, and othersuitable factors.

In some implementations, cached content-completion pairs may provide thebasis for retrieving or generating content items. The system 200 canpopulate and update the content-completion pairs by querying ad mixers(not shown) in the background. For example, completions can bedetermined based on predictions of the most popular requests (e.g.,search queries) received. One or more content items can be associatedwith each completion, forming pairs that are stored as ad-completionpairs. The actual content items or links thereto can be stored, forexample, in the campaigns data store 222. The campaigns data store 222can include references, for example, to keywords or other informationassociated with the content items (e.g., advertisements).Content-completion pairs can be indexed by completion, keywordsassociated with a completion, or other means. Which completions areassociated with which content items (and hence mapped in the form ofcontent-completion pairs) can be based on, for example, the frequency ofpreviously performed searches. This provides the advantage of cachingmatching items that are generally more likely to lead to specificadditional content that is useful to the user.

During state (E), content items can be presented to users. For example,the server(s) 208 b (the search system) can include the content item 260(shown here as content item 260 b) in a search suggestion control 270along with one or more search completions 272 (e.g., “example”, “examplecover”, “example of data”, etc.). The search suggestion control 270, forexample, may be included in the search page 250 (shown here as searchpage 250 b) with search results 274 for presentation to the user 204 bvia the client device 202 b. The search results 274, for example, mayinclude links (e.g., to web pages, documents, or other content sources),pertinent sections of text, content summaries, images, multimedia, maps,ratings, and other suitable information. The server(s) 208 b, forexample, may provide search results that are relevant to a primarysearch completion (e.g., “example”), and may update the search control252 (shown here as search control 252 b) to include the completedterm(s).

Various embellishments may be provided to facilitate recognition ofcontent items in search suggestion controls. In some implementations, aseparation indicator (e.g., a line or another sort of boundary) may beincluded to provide a distinction between search completions andsponsored content items. Thus, users may readily determine whichsuggestions are sponsored, for example, and which are not. In someimplementations, partial forms may be highlighted in content items whenpresenting content items to users. For example, the partial form “exa”may be highlighted within the text “Example Motors”. Thus, if the user204 b happens to be interested in “Example Motors”, for example, he orshe may readily identify the entity via the highlighted text, web link,and/or favicon, and may interact with (e.g., click) the content item 260b to navigate his or her web browser to a website associated with thecampaign sponsor 240.

FIG. 3 shows an example user interface 300 for presenting campaignsponsors with options for selecting a placement designation forpresentation of a content item to users. For example, the client device202 a (shown in FIG. 2) can execute an application such as a web browserto present to the user 204 a (e.g., a representative of campaign sponsor240) one or more user interfaces, such as the user interface 230 (alsoshown in FIG. 2) or the user interface 300. By interacting with userinterfaces such as the user interface 230, 300, for example,representatives of the campaign sponsor 240 can provide criteria for usein targeting content items to users.

Referring to FIG. 3, the example user interface 300 may include one ormore controls for specifying content items (e.g., advertisements) to bepresented to users. For example, the user interface 300 may include acontrol 302 for indicating a headline, a control 304 for indicating adescription, a control 306 for indicating a web link, and a control 308for indicating a favicon to be associated with or included in a contentitem. In the present example, a representative (e.g., the user 204 a) ofthe campaign sponsor 240 can interact with (e.g., enter a value in) thecontrol 302 to provide the headline “EXAMPLE MOTORS”, can interact withthe control 304 to provide the description “New and used available!”,and can interact with the control 306 to provide the web link“www.example.com”. Interacting with the control 308, for example, therepresentative can provide (e.g., upload) and/or create (e.g., draw) afavicon (e.g., an icon, such as the campaign sponsor's logo) or anothersort of graphic.

The example user interface 300 may include one or more controls forspecifying terms (e.g., phrases, keywords, keyword prefixes, etc.)associated with a campaign. For example, the user interface 300 mayinclude a control 310 for indicating terms and a control 312 forindicating partial forms (e.g., prefixes) of the terms to be used fortargeting content items. In the present example, a representative of thecampaign sponsor 240 can interact with (e.g., enter a value in) thecontrol 310 to provide the term “example”. Upon receiving the providedterm via the interface 300, for example, the content management system210 can use the term identifier 212 to associate the provided term withthe sponsor's campaign (e.g., by updating campaign informationmaintained by the campaigns data store 222). In some implementations,suggestions for one or more term prefixes may be presented forselection. For example, upon receiving the term “example”, the contentmanagement system 210 may provide the prefixes “e”, “ex”, “exa”, “exam”,“examp”, and “exampl” to the campaign sponsor representative forselection via the control 312. In the present example, the user 204 amay select the prefixes “exa” and “exam”, and the selected prefixes maybe associated with the sponsor's campaign.

In some implementations, estimated reach information and competitioninformation may be presented for terms and partial forms (e.g.,prefixes) of terms. Based on estimated reach and/or competitioninformation, for example, campaign sponsors may select one or morekeywords and/or partial keywords for targeting. When a content item(e.g., an advertisement) is presented to a user, for example, thecontent management system 210 may identify a content item impression,and if the user selects (e.g., clicks) the content item, the contentmanagement system 210 may identify a click-through. In general, partialkeyword forms including few letters may be considered as potentiallybroad matches relative to partial keyword forms with many letters, andthus content items associated with such forms may receive a relativelygreater number of impressions. However, in general, partial keywordforms including many letters may be considered as more targeted to userrequests than partial keyword forms including few letters, and thususers may be more likely to select content items associated with suchforms. In the present example, a representative of the campaign sponsor240 may interact with (e.g., select via checkbox) the keyword “example”,and the partial keyword forms “exa” and “exam”, based on a preferablecombination of estimated reach information, perceived targeting value,and/or favorable levels of competition.

The example user interface 300 may include one or more controls forspecifying placement of content items associated with a campaign. Forexample, the user interface 300 may include a control 320 for indicatingthat content items are to be presented within a top portion of a contentpresentation interface (e.g., a search results page, such as the searchpage 250 shown in FIG. 2) to system users (e.g., the user 204 b).Similarly, for example, the user interface 300 may include a control 322for indicating that content items are to be presented within a sideportion (e.g., a right side or a left side) of the content presentationinterface, and a control 324 for indicating that content items are to bepresented within a search suggestion control included in the contentpresentation interface. In the present example, the representative ofthe campaign sponsor 240 may indicate that content items are to bepresented to system users, in either a search suggestion control, orwithin a top portion of a content presentation interface (e.g., as partof search results submitted in a search page to a user).

In some implementations, content item previews may be provided. Forexample, the user interface 300 may include a control 330 for providingto a representative of the campaign sponsor 240 a preview of how aspecified content item would appear to a system user when presentedwithin a top portion of a content presentation interface. Similarly, theuser interface 300 may include a control 332 for providing a preview ofhow the specified content item would appear to the user when presentedwithin a side portion, and a control 334 for providing a preview of howthe content item would appear when presented within a search suggestioncontrol.

The user interface 300, for example, may include one or more controlsfor specifying information to be used in an auction for having contentitems presented system users. For example, the user interface 300 mayinclude a control 340 for specifying a bid value. In the presentexample, the campaign sponsor 240 may interact with the control 340 toindicate a default bid of $0.25 for having content items presented tousers in response to receipt of campaign terms (e.g., phrases, keywords,keyword prefixes, etc.), and the content items being placed in one ormore of the designated portion(s) of a content presentation interface.

More or fewer controls may be presented to campaign sponsorrepresentatives for providing campaign information, content itemspecification and/or targeting criteria. For example, an interface forspecifying targeting options may include one or more controls forspecifying preferred characteristics of targeted individuals, such asdemographic characteristics, language, location, and other suitablecharacteristics. Upon specifying desired targeting options, for example,a representative of the campaign sponsor 240 can interact with (e.g.,click) a control 350 to submit information to the content managementsystem 210.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process 400 for presenting contentitems in accordance with a received placement designation. In someimplementations, the process 400 may be performed by the systems 100and/or 200, and will be described as such for the purpose of clarity.Briefly, the process 400 may include identifying terms associated with acampaign, receiving an indication of a placement designation includingtargeting criteria, wherein the targeting criteria includes adesignation for presenting a content item in a search suggestion controlalong with search suggestions, storing information associated with thecampaign, and processing content requests. Processing requests forcontent may include evaluating a received search string, identifyingquery suggestions, determining if the query suggestions match the termsassociated with the campaign, and presenting the content item inresponse to the received search string along with the query suggestions.

One or more terms associated with a campaign can be identified (402).Referring to FIG. 2, for example, the term identifier 212 can identifyone or more terms associated with a campaign (e.g., an advertisingcampaign) of the campaign sponsor 240. For example, the campaign sponsor240 may be an entity such as an organization, business, or individual.In the present example, the campaign sponsor 240 (e.g., “ExampleMotors”, an automobile dealership) may have an ongoing campaign forpresenting content items (e.g., the content item 260 a) to usersresponsive to requests for content (e.g., search strings) provided byusers. In some implementations, one or more terms may be received from acampaign sponsor. For example, a representative (e.g., the user 204 a)of the campaign sponsor 240 may employ the interface 230 b to provideone or more campaign terms to the content management system 210. In someimplementations, the one or more terms may include one or more prefixes.Prefixes, for example, may include the first one or more letters of theterms. For example, the campaign sponsor 240 may provide the term“example” and the related prefixes “exa” and “exam” to the contentmanagement system 210.

In some implementations, a control may be presented (404) to a campaignsponsor to enable selection of a placement designation. For example, thetargeting option provider 214 can provide an interface (e.g., theinterface 230, the interface 300, or another suitable interface)including various options for targeting the content item 260 a to systemusers (e.g., the user 204 a). The targeting options, for example, mayinclude options for indicating one or more placement designations forpresenting a content item (e.g., the content item 260 a) when presentingthe content item via a content presentation interface (e.g., a searchresults page, such as the search page 250).

In some implementations, presenting the control may include presentingan option to allow for specification of presentation of content itemsonly in a search suggestion control. Referring to FIG. 3, for example,the user interface 300 can include the control 324 for indicating thatinstances of a content item are to be presented within search suggestioncontrols to system users, and a control 334 for providing a preview ofhow a particular content item (e.g., the content item 260 a) wouldappear when presented within the search suggestion control. If acampaign sponsor representative (e.g., the user 204 a) were to interactwith (e.g., select) the control 324 and were not to interact with eitherof the controls 320, 322, for example, the content management system 210may interpret such actions as a directive to generate instances of acontent item (e.g., the content item 260 a) in a format suitable forplacement in search suggestion controls, and to place the content iteminstances in search suggestion controls only.

In some implementations, presenting the control may include presentingan option to allow for specification of presentation of content items ineither a search suggestion control or as part of search resultssubmitted to a user. Referring again to FIG. 3, for example, the userinterface 300 can include the control 320 for indicating that contentitems are to be presented within a top portion of a content presentationinterface to system users, and the control 322 for indicating thatcontent items are to be presented within a side portion of the contentpresentation interface. For example, a content presentation such as asearch results page submitted to a user in response to a received searchstring may include one or more sponsored search results placed on thepage (e.g., at the top, bottom, right side, left side, etc.). In thepresent example, if a campaign sponsor representative (e.g., the user204 a) were to interact with (e.g., select) both the control 320 and thecontrol 324, the content management system 210 may interpret suchactions as a directive to generate instances of a content item (e.g.,the content item 260 a) in formats suitable for placement as part ofsearch results submitted to a system user (e.g., the user 204 b) and/orto generate content item instances suitable for placement in searchsuggestion controls. Content item instances that are suitable forplacement in search suggestion controls can be placed in such controls,for example, and content item instances that are suitable for inclusionin search results can be thus included.

An indication can be received (406) of a placement designation includingtargeting criteria for the presentation of the content item. Forexample, the designation receiver 216 can receive indications of one ormore placement designations provided by a campaign sponsorrepresentative (e.g., the user 204 a) via a user interface (e.g., aninterface such as the interfaces 230, 300). The targeting criteria, forexample, may include a designation for presenting a content item (e.g.,the content item 260 a) in a search suggestion control along with searchsuggestions, and may include one or more designations for presenting thecontent item in various other portions (e.g., top, bottom, right side,left side, etc.) of a content presentation interface.

Information associated with the campaign can be stored (408). Uponreceiving targeting options and other campaign information viainterfaces such as the interfaces 230, 300, for example, the contentmanagement system 210 can store the campaign information in thecampaigns data store 222 for subsequent use.

Content requests can be processed (410). For example, the contentmanagement system 210 can use the content request processor 220 toprocess requests for content (e.g., search requests) submitted by systemusers (e.g., the user 204 b), in conjunction with the computingserver(s) 208 b (i.e., the search system). Processing content requestsmay include evaluating a received search string, identifying one or morequery suggestions, determining if the query suggestions match one ormore terms associated with a campaign, and presenting a content item inresponse to the received search string along with the one or more querysuggestions.

In the present example, a search string (e.g., the prefix “exa”) can beprovided by the system user 204 b via the search control 252 a includedon the search page 250 a. The computing server(s) 208 b (the searchsystem), for example, can receive the search string. In someimplementations, the search system may identify one or more searchsuggestions (e.g., “example”, “example cover”, “example of data”, etc.)for the search string. For example, search data 254 including the searchstring and/or search suggestions can be provided by the search system tothe content management system 210. In some implementations, the contentrequest processor 220 may identify one or more search suggestions for areceived search string.

Upon receiving the search string and/or search suggestions, for example,the content request processor 220 can access the campaigns data store222 and can determine whether search string and/or the query suggestionsmatch one or more terms associated with a campaign. In the presentexample, the content request processor 220 may identify a match betweenthe search suggestion “example” and the identified term “example”.

Upon identifying a match, for example, the content request processor 220can identify and/or generate a content item (e.g., the content item 260a) associated with a campaign of the campaign sponsor 240, and canidentify an indication of a placement designation associated with thecontent item. In the present example, the content request processor 220may access the campaigns data store 222 and may determine that a contentitem associated with the campaign sponsor 240 is to be presented in asearch suggestion control along with search suggestions. The contentrequest processor 220, for example, may identify and/or generate aninstance of a content item that is suitable for presentation to the user204 b given the user's context (e.g., the user's profile and/orlocation, the type of client device 202 b, the application forpresenting the search page 250 b, the placement designation, etc.). Uponidentifying and/or generating the content item instance, for example,the content management system 210 may provide the instance (e.g., thecontent item 260 a) to the computing server(s) 208 b (the search system)for inclusion in a search suggestion control of a search page.

In some implementations, a bid may be received from a campaign sponsor,the bid may be associated with the one or more terms, and an auction maybe run (412). For example, a representative of the campaign sponsor 240may use an interface (e.g., the user interface 230, 300) to provide bidinformation. Referring to FIG. 3, for example, the representative mayspecify a bid via the control 340 for having content presented to usersbased on the submitted targeting selections (e.g., one or more terms,one or more placement designations, and other suitable selections). Forexample, the auction manager 218 may conduct an auction between variouscampaign sponsors who may have bid on having content presented in searchsuggestion controls to users having submitted the prefix “exa” and/orusers receiving the search suggestion “example”. During the auction, forexample, the content management system 210 can evaluate bids andassociated quality scores for each campaign, and can determine one ormore auction winners. Quality scores, for example, may be based onhistorical click rates of content items, campaigns, and/or campaignsponsors, and other suitable factors.

Upon receiving the content item 260 a, for example, the computingserver(s) 208 b (the search system) can include the content item (shownhere as content item 260 b) in the search suggestion control 270included in the search page 250 b, along with search completions 272(e.g., query suggestions for the prefix “exa”, such as “example”,“example cover”, “example of data”, etc.). Thus, for example, campaignsponsors may target content items (e.g., sponsored search suggestions)to be presented along with potential search completions in a searchsuggestion control. Potential applications may include search suggestioninterfaces for web searches, map searches, video searches, productsearches, and other search types.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process 500 for presenting contentitems in accordance with a received placement designation. In someimplementations, the process 500 may be performed by the systems 100and/or 200, and will be described as such for the purpose of clarity.Briefly, the process 500 may include identifying terms associated with acampaign, receiving an indication of a placement designation includingtargeting criteria, wherein the targeting criteria includes adesignation for presenting a content item in a search suggestion controlalong with search suggestions, storing information associated with thecampaign, and processing content requests. Processing requests forcontent may include evaluating a received search string and querysuggestions, determining if the query suggestions match the termsassociated with the campaign, and presenting the content item inresponse to the received search string along with the query suggestions.

One or more terms associated with a campaign can be identified (502).Referring to FIG. 2, for example, the term identifier 212 can identifyone or more terms associated with a campaign (e.g., an advertisingcampaign) of the campaign sponsor 240. In the present example, thecampaign sponsor 240 may have an ongoing campaign for presenting contentitems (e.g., the content item 260 a) to users responsive to requests forcontent (e.g., search strings) provided by users. In someimplementations, one or more terms may be received from a campaignsponsor. For example, a representative (e.g., the user 204 a) of thecampaign sponsor 240 may employ the interface 230 b to provide one ormore campaign terms to the content management system 210. In someimplementations, the one or more terms may include one or more prefixeswhich may include the first one or more letters of the terms. Forexample, the campaign sponsor 240 may provide a term and/or one or moreterm prefixes to the content management system 210.

In some implementations, a control may be presented to a campaignsponsor to enable selection of a placement designation. For example, thetargeting option provider 214 can provide an interface (e.g., theinterface 230, the interface 300, or another suitable interface)including various options for targeting the content item 260 a to systemusers (e.g., the user 204 a). The targeting options, for example, mayinclude options for indicating one or more placement designations forpresenting a content item (e.g., the content item 260 a) when presentingthe content item via a content presentation interface (e.g., a searchresults page, such as the search page 250).

An indication can be received (504) of a placement designation includingtargeting criteria for the presentation of the content item. Forexample, the designation receiver 216 can receive indications of one ormore placement designations provided by a campaign sponsorrepresentative (e.g., the user 204 a) via a user interface (e.g., aninterface such as the interfaces 230, 300). The targeting criteria, forexample, may include a designation for presenting a content item (e.g.,the content item 260 a) in a search suggestion control along with searchsuggestions, and may include one or more designations for presenting thecontent item in various other portions (e.g., top, bottom, right side,left side, etc.) of a content presentation interface.

Information associated with the campaign can be stored (506). Uponreceiving targeting options and other campaign information viainterfaces such as the interfaces 230, 300, for example, the contentmanagement system 210 can store the campaign information in thecampaigns data store 222 for subsequent use.

Content requests can be processed (508). For example, the contentmanagement system 210 can use the content request processor 220 toprocess requests for content (e.g., search requests) submitted by systemusers (e.g., the user 204 b), in conjunction with the computingserver(s) 208 b (i.e., the search system). Processing content requestsmay include evaluating a received search string and one or more querysuggestions, determining if the search string or the query suggestionsmatch one or more terms associated with a campaign, and presenting acontent item in response to the received search string along with theone or more query suggestions.

In the present example, a search string (e.g., the prefix “exa”) can beprovided by the system user 204 b via the search control 252 a includedon the search page 250 a. The computing server(s) 208 b (the searchsystem), for example, can receive the search string, and can identifyone or more search suggestions (e.g., “example”, “example cover”,“example of data”, etc.) for the search string. In the present example,search data 254 including the search string and the search suggestionscan be provided to the content management system 210. Upon receiving thesearch string and the search suggestions, for example, the contentrequest processor 220 can access the campaigns data store 222 and candetermine whether search string or the query suggestions match one ormore terms associated with a campaign. In the present example, thecontent request processor 220 may identify a match between the searchsuggestion “example” and the identified term “example”.

Upon identifying a match, for example, the content request processor 220can identify and/or generate a content item (e.g., the content item 260a) associated with a campaign of the campaign sponsor 240, and canidentify an indication of a placement designation associated with thecontent item. In the present example, the content request processor 220may access the campaigns data store 222 and may determine that a contentitem associated with the campaign sponsor 240 is to be presented in asearch suggestion control along with search suggestions. The contentrequest processor 220, for example, may identify and/or generate aninstance of a content item that is suitable for presentation to the user204 b given the user's context. Upon identifying and/or generating thecontent item instance, for example, the content management system 210may provide the instance (e.g., the content item 260 a) to the computingserver(s) 208 b (the search system) for inclusion in a search suggestioncontrol of a search page. Upon receiving the content item 260 a, forexample, the computing server(s) 208 b (the search system) can includethe content item (shown here as content item 260 b) in the searchsuggestion control 270 included in the search page 250 b, along withsearch completions 272 (e.g., query suggestions for the prefix “exa”,such as “example”, “example cover”, “example of data”, etc.).

FIG. 6 shows an example of a generic computer device 600 and a genericmobile computer device 650, which may be used with the techniquesdescribed here. Computing device 600 is intended to represent variousforms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations,personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, andother appropriate computers. Computing device 650 is intended torepresent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digitalassistants, cellular telephones, smartphones, and other similarcomputing devices. The components shown here, their connections andrelationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, andare not meant to limit implementations of the inventions describedand/or claimed in this document.

Computing device 600 includes a processor 602, memory 604, a storagedevice 606, a high-speed interface 608 connecting to memory 604 andhigh-speed expansion ports 610, and a low speed interface 612 connectingto low speed bus 614 and storage device 606. Each of the components 602,604, 606, 608, 610, and 612, are interconnected using various busses,and may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners asappropriate. The processor 602 can process instructions for executionwithin the computing device 600, including instructions stored in thememory 604 or on the storage device 606 to display graphical informationfor a GUI on an external input/output device, such as display 616coupled to high speed interface 608. In other implementations, multipleprocessors and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along withmultiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices600 may be connected, with each device providing portions of thenecessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers,or a multi-processor system).

The memory 604 stores information within the computing device 600. Inone implementation, the memory 604 is a volatile memory unit or units.In another implementation, the memory 604 is a non-volatile memory unitor units. The memory 604 may also be another form of computer-readablemedium, such as a magnetic or optical disk.

The storage device 606 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 600. In one implementation, the storage device 606 maybe or contain a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk device,a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flashmemory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array ofdevices, including devices in a storage area network or otherconfigurations. A computer program product can be tangibly embodied inan information carrier. The computer program product may also containinstructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such asthose described above. The information carrier is a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 604, the storage device 606,memory on processor 602, ora propagated signal.

The high speed controller 608 manages bandwidth-intensive operations forthe computing device 600, while the low speed controller 612 manageslower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of functions isexemplary only. In one implementation, the high-speed controller 608 iscoupled to memory 604, display 616 (e.g., through a graphics processoror accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports 610, which may acceptvarious expansion cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speedcontroller 612 is coupled to storage device 606 and low-speed expansionport 614. The low-speed expansion port, which may include variouscommunication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet)may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such as a keyboard,a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch orrouter, e.g., through a network adapter.

The computing device 600 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as astandard server 620, or multiple times in a group of such servers. Itmay also be implemented as part of a rack server system 624. Inaddition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptopcomputer 622. Alternatively, components from computing device 600 may becombined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such asdevice 650. Each of such devices may contain one or more of computingdevice 600, 650, and an entire system may be made up of multiplecomputing devices 600, 650 communicating with each other.

Computing device 650 includes a processor 652, memory 664, aninput/output device such as a display 654, a communication interface666, and a transceiver 668, among other components. The device 650 mayalso be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive or otherdevice, to provide additional storage. Each of the components 650, 652,664, 654, 666, and 668, are interconnected using various buses, andseveral of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate.

The processor 652 can execute instructions within the computing device650, including instructions stored in the memory 664. The processor maybe implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate and multipleanalog and digital processors. The processor may provide, for example,for coordination of the other components of the device 650, such ascontrol of user interfaces, applications run by device 650, and wirelesscommunication by device 650.

Processor 652 may communicate with a user through control interface 658and display interface 656 coupled to a display 654. The display 654 maybe, for example, a TFT LCD (Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display)or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or other appropriatedisplay technology. The display interface 656 may comprise appropriatecircuitry for driving the display 654 to present graphical and otherinformation to a user. The control interface 658 may receive commandsfrom a user and convert them for submission to the processor 652. Inaddition, an external interface 662 may be provided in communicationwith processor 652, so as to enable near area communication of device650 with other devices. External interface 662 may provide, for example,for wired communication in some implementations, or for wirelesscommunication in other implementations, and multiple interfaces may alsobe used.

The memory 664 stores information within the computing device 650. Thememory 664 can be implemented as one or more of a computer-readablemedium or media, a volatile memory unit or units, or a non-volatilememory unit or units. Expansion memory 674 may also be provided andconnected to device 650 through expansion interface 672, which mayinclude, for example, a SIMM (Single In Line Memory Module) cardinterface. Such expansion memory 674 may provide extra storage space fordevice 650, or may also store applications or other information fordevice 650. Specifically, expansion memory 674 may include instructionsto carry out or supplement the processes described above, and mayinclude secure information also. Thus, for example, expansion memory 674may be provide as a security module for device 650, and may beprogrammed with instructions that permit secure use of device 650. Inaddition, secure applications may be provided via the SIMM cards, alongwith additional information, such as placing identifying information onthe SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.

The memory may include, for example, flash memory and/or NVRAM memory,as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer program product istangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer programproduct contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or moremethods, such as those described above. The information carrier is acomputer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 664, expansionmemory 674, memory on processor 652, or a propagated signal that may bereceived, for example, over transceiver 668 or external interface 662.

Device 650 may communicate wirelessly through communication interface666, which may include digital signal processing circuitry wherenecessary. Communication interface 666 may provide for communicationsunder various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, orMMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others.Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequencytransceiver 668. In addition, short-range communication may occur, suchas using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). Inaddition, GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 670 mayprovide additional navigation- and location-related wireless data todevice 650, which may be used as appropriate by applications running ondevice 650.

Device 650 may also communicate audibly using audio codec 660, which mayreceive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digitalinformation. Audio codec 660 may likewise generate audible sound for auser, such as through a speaker, e.g., in a handset of device 650. Suchsound may include sound from voice telephone calls, may include recordedsound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) and may also includesound generated by applications operating on device 650.

The computing device 650 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as acellular telephone 680. It may also be implemented as part of asmartphone 682, personal digital assistant, or other similar mobiledevice.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” or“computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablemedium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to providemachine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor)for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provideinput to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and theInternet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may beeliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be addedto, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, otherembodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

1-22. (canceled)
 23. A method, comprising: receiving, from a contentprovider, a phrase through a text entry box of a user interface;determining, based on the phrase, a set of matching query options forthe phrase, including at least one query option that includes less thanall of the text of the phrase; providing a reach control that providesreach information for one or more of the matching query options withinthe user interface that is presenting the set of matching query options;detecting interactions with placement controls corresponding to one ormore placement options from among a plurality of placement options thatare presented in the user interface; presenting, in reaction to each ofthe interactions, a preview of how a content item will appear to a userwhen presented in each given placement option corresponding to theplacement control with which each interaction occurred; receiving,through the user interface, a selection of at least one placementcontrol from among the placement controls and at least one matchingquery option from among the set of matching query options; anddistributing the content item according to the selection of at least oneplacement control based on the at least one matching query option. 24.The method of claim 23, further comprising: determining, for the atleast one query option that includes less than all of the text of thephrase, one or more search suggestions for completing the phrase, theone or more search suggestions being based on predictions of a completedsearch query to be entered by the user.
 25. The method of claim 24,further comprising: in response to determining that a partial searchstring that matches the at least one query option that includes lessthan all of the text of the phrase has been entered by the user into asearch control presented at a user device, presenting an inline searchsuggestion control at the user device along with the one or more searchsuggestions.
 26. The method of claim 24, further comprising: in responseto determining that a partial search string that matches the at leastone query options that includes less than all of the text of the phrasehas been entered by the user into a search control presented at a userdevice, distributing, for at least one search suggestion of the one ormore search suggestions, an additional content item that has beenassociated with the at least one search suggestion.
 27. The method ofclaim 23, wherein distributing the content item includes generating aninstance of the content item that is suitable for presentation by adevice of the user, given the placement option corresponding to theselection of the at least one placement control.
 28. The method of claim23, further comprising: providing a plurality of query option controlswithin the user interface, each query option control being associatedwith a different query options for the phrase.
 29. The method of claim23, further comprising: providing a plurality of content itemspecification controls within the user interface, including two or moreof (i) a text content control for specifying text of the content item,(ii) a graphical content control for specifying graphics of the contentitem, or (iii) a link content control for specifying a web resource tobe linked to the content item.
 30. The method of claim 23, wherein theplacement controls include a placement control for specifying that thecontent item is to be presented within a top portion of an interfacepresented at a user device.
 31. The method of claim 23, wherein theplacement controls include a placement control for specifying that thecontent item is to be presented within a side portion of an interfacepresented at a user device.
 32. The method of claim 23, wherein theplacement controls include a placement control for specifying that thecontent item is to be presented at an inline search suggestion controlpresented at a user device.
 33. A non-transitory computer storage mediumencoded with instructions that when executed by one or more computerscause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:receiving, from a content provider, a phrase through a text entry box ofa user interface; determining, based on the phrase, a set of matchingquery options for the phrase, including at least one query option thatincludes less than all of the text of the phrase; providing a reachcontrol that provides reach information for one or more of the matchingquery options within the user interface that is presenting the set ofmatching query options; detecting interactions with placement controlscorresponding to one or more placement options from among a plurality ofplacement options that are presented in the user interface; presenting,in reaction to each of the interactions, a preview of how a content itemwill appear to a user when presented in each given placement optioncorresponding to the placement control with which each interactionoccurred; receiving, through the user interface, a selection of at leastone placement control from among the placement controls and at least onematching query option from among the set of matching query options; anddistributing the content item according to the selection of at least oneplacement control based on the at least one matching query option. 34.The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 33, the operationsfurther comprising: determining, for the at least one query option thatincludes less than all of the text of the phrase, one or more searchsuggestions for completing the phrase, the one or more searchsuggestions being based on predictions of a completed search query to beentered by the user.
 35. The non-transitory computer storage medium ofclaim 33, wherein distributing the content item includes generating aninstance of the content item that is suitable for presentation by adevice of the user, given the placement option corresponding to theselection of the at least one placement control.
 36. The non-transitorycomputer storage medium of claim 33, the operations further comprising:providing a plurality of query option controls within the userinterface, each query option control being associated with a differentquery options for the phrase.
 37. The non-transitory computer storagemedium of claim 33, the operations further comprising: providing aplurality of content item specification controls within the userinterface, including two or more of (i) a text content control forspecifying text of the content item, (ii) a graphical content controlfor specifying graphics of the content item, or (iii) a link contentcontrol for specifying a web resource to be linked to the content item.38. A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memoryelements including instructions that, when executed, cause the one ormore processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, from acontent provider, a phrase through a text entry box of a user interface;determining, based on the phrase, a set of matching query options forthe phrase, including at least one query option that includes less thanall of the text of the phrase; providing a reach control that providesreach information for one or more of the matching query options withinthe user interface that is presenting the set of matching query options;detecting interactions with placement controls corresponding to one ormore placement options from among a plurality of placement options thatare presented in the user interface; presenting, in reaction to each ofthe interactions, a preview of how a content item will appear to a userwhen presented in each given placement option corresponding to theplacement control with which each interaction occurred; receiving,through the user interface, a selection of at least one placementcontrol from among the placement controls and at least one matchingquery option from among the set of matching query options; anddistributing the content item according to the selection of at least oneplacement control based on the at least one matching query option. 39.The system of claim 38, the operations further comprising: determining,for the at least one query option that includes less than all of thetext of the phrase, one or more search suggestions for completing thephrase, the one or more search suggestions being based on predictions ofa completed search query to be entered by the user.
 40. The system ofclaim 38, wherein distributing the content item includes generating aninstance of the content item that is suitable for presentation by adevice of the user, given the placement option corresponding to theselection of the at least one placement control.
 41. The system of claim38, the operations further comprising: providing a plurality of queryoption controls within the user interface, each query option controlbeing associated with a different query options for the phrase.
 42. Thesystem of claim 38, the operations further comprising: providing aplurality of content item specification controls within the userinterface, including two or more of (i) a text content control forspecifying text of the content item, (ii) a graphical content controlfor specifying graphics of the content item, or (iii) a link contentcontrol for specifying a web resource to be linked to the content item.